Rail-brace



64? BY I E. CLAY. RAIL BRACEP APPLICATION FILED APR. 16. 1918. 0 1,319,461., Patented 00t.21,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

I INVENTOR WITNESSES 1 ATTORNEY E. CLAY.

RAIL BRACE.

APPLICATION FlLED'APR.16,19I8,

1,319,461 Patented Oct. 21,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- illlllllllllllli MW 30 INVENTOH WITNESSES Edwin CZQZ fl/L BY WM fl mw fi ATTORNEY EDWIN CLAY, or 3mm, NEVADA.

RAIL-BRACE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Oct. 21, 1919,

App1ication filed. April 16, 1918. Serial No. 228,936.

I To all whom it mag concern: 1

Be it known that I, EDWIN CLAY, a cltizen of the United States, residing at Reno,

in the county of ,Vashoe and State ofNevada, have invented certain new and useful- Improvements in Rail-Braces, of which. the a following is a specification. V Y My invention relates broadly to the class of railway ties and more particularly, to an improved bracing tie. r The primary ob ect of the invention 1s to assembled and; applied toa rail, eliminate thespreadmg of the ralls, which has heretothedanger of brokenra ils, inasmuch, as the fore caused numerous disastrous wrecks and i the like; one wh1ch Wlll'itlSO, greatly lessen brace willbecome a tie that binds effectively,

' and each rail will serveto support its com? plemental or adjacent rail.

A The invention also contemplates the provision of a device of the character described,

which may be not only used in conjunction with rails, but may, at the option of the user, be effectively applied as a brace for split rail switch bars. 7 1 Another important characteristic of the invention, resides in the provisionof a com q j ing of theinvention should be, considered in bined tie and brace, which may be readily applied to av rail or the like, without the necessity of driving spikes orthe like into the usual supportingties. 3 i

Other improvements and noveldetails inthe construction and arrangement of the various parts of the construction will be brought out more in detail in the descrip tion tofollow,which, for a clear understandconnection with the accompanying drawings,

forming a part thereof and wherein is dis: closechfor the purpose ofillustration, a con- Y venlent and satlsfactoryembodlmentof the invention. I

-- ,l :Fig. 2' 1s a perspective of the connecting,

so 1 a. o r

i Fig. 5 is a detail in' perspective of the ;In the drawings.

co inectingand bracing element;. I FigaGis a perspective of a modified form [wherein the device is used in conjunction withisplit-rail switch bars; and

device as used in conjunction with .a stub switch bar.

Referring now more particularly to the 'draw1ngs, wherein like reference numerals, des1gnate like 'or corresponding 1 parts throughout the several views thereof, it may be stated, in describing the preferredembodnnent of the lnvention, that the device comprlses rall chairs, generally numbered 1,

which chairs have arranged upon their outer V extremities, angularly disposed bracing and provide a rail brace and tie which will, when tying elements 2, which elements are .pro- 'vided with recesses 3,? the purpose of which shall be hereinafter more fully described. The chair 1 extends for a distance beyond the base of the rail and has arranged thereupon, adjacent the outer extremity of said extension, a connecting bar l, substantially T-shaped in cross section and arranged in I parallelism with the bracing member 2.

In order to provide'for means whereby the rails 5 may be securely held against lateral movement upon their respective chairs, a connecting and bracing element 6, is supplied. :This element isconstructed' from a single piece of material, such as softsteel or the like and is of such width as to accord with the distance between the rails 5. Upstanding flanges 7 and 8, are arranged upon the opposite. extremities of said connecting and bracing element 6 and a portion of said element is cut away, adjacent said extremities, as at 9 and 10, whereby the upstanding flanges 7 and 8, may be readily engaged with the*web portions of the rails and also ;necting element 6 and extend longitudinally thereof, so asto'be readily engageable with the connectingbar or rib 4. In assembling the ClQVlCC-D, it is only necessary that the sundercut' grooves-12 and 13 be engaged with i theiryrespectlve connecting IlbS l, whereupon the upstanding flanges'T' and 8 will engage withthe web portions of the iralls 5.

To provide for means whereby longitudinal i movement of 831d, uconnectlng and bracing -r,element"6 Wlll be presented, I provlde 1n the upstanding flanges 7 and 8, apertures i l l complementally disposed to the aper- "tures 3 in the rail chair.- Bolts 15 are then "passed? through the registering apertures and through suitably arranged openings U1 the web portions of the rails, whereupon a 1 fastening nut or the like. as at '16 is turned upon the threaded shankot thebolt.

ranged in the reduced portion 25. 77 It will J 5 rail base.

The foregoing construction, is particularly adaptable for use in conjunction with railway tracks newly laid, and, in order to provide a connection which may be read ily applied to railway tracks, prev ously laid, I have proposed the construction as shown to advantage in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings. I i Y 7 In this particular construction, rail chairs 1, with the usual connecting bars or ribs 4 are supplied, the construction deviating from that heretofore described, by the provision of a sectional connecting and bracing element, designated in its entirety, as at 17. This sectional connecting and bracing element consists of members 18 and 19, the said members having provided upon their opposite extremities, upstanding rail engaging flanges 20 and 21, the under faces of thelelements 18 and 19 being cut away as at 22 and 23,'to provide for insertion of the The adjacent extremities of the said elements 18 and 19, are reduced as at Y24 and 25, to provide substantially overlapping portions. Upon the reduced portion 24, I provide a T-shaped connectlng r1b .26, which rib is received by an undercut that the chairs 1 be inserted beneath the rail and that the connecting elements 18 and 19 with their longitudinal grooves 28 and 29.

be engaged with the complementally disposed connectingrib 4, while the rail engaging flanges 20 and 21 will eificiently brace theweb thereof. With the parts thus connected, a connectingrib 26 as carried by the reduced portion 24 is moved into engage ment with the undercut groove 27 as arbeevident, by this construction, spreading of the railwill be prevented and the rail engaging flanges 20 and 21 willgefliciently serve as bracing elements. I

'Thetwo forms of my invention as above described, disclose the same as being applied 7 to a rail and serving as a bracing and tying means. 'It is to be understood, however, that these forms, are not ofthe essence of my invention and that the same may be readily used as a connecting and bracing element for use in conjunction with a split 7 rail switch and also,.as-a connection for use in conjunction with stub switch bars, the modificatlons being illustrated to advantage,

by Figsf6 and 7.

V will be facilitated.

Referring now to the split rail switch con- 7 30 has also, at its outer or opposite extremities, suitable openings as at 32 and 32,

whereby operation of the supporting plate A connecting element designated 33, having longitudinally extending undercut grooves 34 is receivable upon the supporting plate 30, the said longitudinal grooves being adapted for engagement with the T-shaped connecting ribs 31, whereby connection between the elements '30 and 33, may be afforded. Flanges 35 and 36 are formed upon the opposite ends of the connecting element 33 and are so arranged as to engage the switch points 37 and 38 which are in turn, secured thereto, by means of' bolts 39 and 40, which are passed through suitable transversely arranged openings in the flanges and similarly arranged openings in said switch points 37 and 38. To prevent longitudinal movement of the connecting element 33, a bolt 41 is passed through the supporting element 30 and the connecting element'33 whereupon a nut is turned into engagement therewith, thus securely holding the connecting element 33 against movement. I

The stub switch bar connection as shown to advantage in Fig. 7, comprises a substantially chair-like construction, as at 42, the said chair. comprising an angularly disposed rail engaging flange 43 and a longitudinally arranged T-shaped connecting rib 44. A laterally extended arm 45 is arranged upon the chair construction and may have arranged therein, a suitable openingfnot shown, whereby connection may be had with a suitable operating menrber.

Other modes of applying the principle I, therefore,particularly point out' and distinctly claim as my invention p 1. A rail tie, comprising rail receiving' and supporting chairs, parallel undercut ribs arranged upon the adjacent portions of said chairs, a sectional connecting element engageable with said chairs for holding the same in spaced relation, said connecting element including a plurality of sections, the

adjacent ends of said sections having suitable connecting means arranged thereupon, complementally formed grooves arranged in said sections adapted to receivesaid. ribs, and rail engaging flanges formed'upon the opposite extremities of said sections;

2. A rail tie, comprising rail receiving and supporting chairs, parallel undercut ribs arranged upon the adjacent portions of said chairs, a connecting element engageable with said chairs, for holding the same in spaced relation, said connecting element including a plurality of sections, the adjacent ends of said sections being reduced, an undercut rib arranged upon one of said reduced portions, a complementally formed groove arranged upon the remaining portion and engageable With said undercut r-il), complementally for-med grooves arranged in said sections and adapted to receive said first mentioned ribs, rail engaging flanges formed upon the opposite extremity of said sections, and means engagealble with said flanges and said chairs for preventing longitudinal movement of said sections.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two WltIlGSSES.

EDWIN CLAY.

M. S. NEALE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

